


If Heaven and Hell Decide

by soul_of_blaze



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Hints at suicide, Hooded Figures are Death, M/M, Mentions of Death, or Reapers, sadfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-16
Updated: 2013-08-16
Packaged: 2017-12-23 17:49:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/929353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soul_of_blaze/pseuds/soul_of_blaze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Hooded Figures were more than just simply being. Everyone in Nightvale knew that.</p><p>You just weren't supposed to think about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If Heaven and Hell Decide

**Author's Note:**

> soooo this is my first nightvale fic and hopefully i am not Terrible at it
> 
> i was listening to 'I Will Follow You into the Dark' and i thought of cecil and carlos and yeah

_Love of mine, some day you will die_  
 _But I'll be close behind_ _  
__I'll follow you into the dark_

* * *

It happens on a day when the weather Cecil plays is sad, but reminds everyone in Nightvale of the dreary mood rain brings.

And it does rain. 

The rain comes down hard enough that anyone who is listening to Cecil's broadcast can hear the rain not only drumming on their own roofs, but through the broadcast as well. He has to talk louder to be heard over the rain. There is caution from the secret police to even step out into the storm. 

Carlos is curious to why the rain is so heavy, what could possibly be so bad about going out in it. Certainly, heavy rains are hard to see in and to maneuver in. But there's nothing threatening about them. None of his team dare step outside themselves, although very few of them try to persuade him to stay inside until the weather clears up. 

As he is preparing to step out, he hears Cecil's voice murmur 'Goodnight, Nightvale. Goodnight.' And the broadcast slips slowly into a peaceful sounding ten-hour broadcast of the same song over and over. Carlos fishes his phone out of his pocket and dials Cecil's number. 

While he waits for the man to answer, he checks that he has everything. Lab coat secured, check. Umbrella, check. Recording device, check. He just finishes looking over everything when the lovely voice of Nightvale's radio greets him. 

"Carlos!" Carlos' name uttered in Cecil's voice is, as ever, the same and causes him to become flustered for a moment before he can clear his throat and focus. 

"Cecil. The weather."

"The weather! What about it? Oh, it's quite terrible, isn't it? You know, I told intern Joey not to leave but he went out anyway. I hope nothing bad happens to him. What about the weather?"

"I'm going out in it, to investigate."

"What? You can't! Carlos! It's far too dangerous, didn't you hear my report from the secret police?" The edge of his voice is blossoming with worry already. Carlos sighs.

"It's rain, Cecil. I have been out in worse storms. I will be fine and I will not step far from the lab."

"Don't! Don't go out in the rain!" 

" _Cecil_ ," and he knows the way he says the man's voice is in annoyance. There isn't a reply other than him repeating no, again and again. In the background, he can hear the shuffle of what must be Cecil's headset being wrenched off and thrown on his desk. The scrape of a chair, and then he hears the chair hit the floor. Cecil is in a rush, as he can hear him fumble to the door through the phone. Carlos closes his eyes for a moment before he says, "Goodbye, Cecil. I _will_ talk to you later."

Then he steps outside.

\--

Cecil rushes out into the rain, stumbling through it. His plans were to stay in the station until it was clear enough for him to drive home. But now, he could no longer sit and wait for it to lighten up. This would _not_ be a repeat of the last time Carlos had bravely investigated danger.

He was not sitting back and waiting for news this time. 

There was no time for him to drive and find Carlos; he had to run through the rain. He could barely see in it, even with his third eye open. But it wouldn't have mattered, as the eye was rapidly filtering through the people of the city in order to locate Carlos. It was in no particular pattern that he saw others, and before now it had never mattered. Cecil saw Old Woman Josie comfortably sleeping in a chair, Intern Dana in the dog park, Steve Carlsberg ( _ugh)_ , and then he had to shut it before the rain hurt him. The rain was snapping down so hard that he had to stumble under an overhang, so that he could open his eyes (all three) again. He sorted through almost everyone in Nightvale before it was able to lock on Carlos. 

 _What a relief_ , he thought to himself, _that perfect Carlos has not been harmed._  

"Carlos!" It is a quick stumbling jaunt for him to reach Carlos, who has not moved even inches from his lab. When he gets to the scientist, Cecil grabs hold of Carlos' lab coat sleeve. It jolts him from whatever he is mumbling into his recording device. "Oh, I am so glad nothing happened to you. Come on! Back inside!"

Cecil tries to tug him back to the doorstep of the lab but Carlos will not budge. Around them, hooded figures drag through the rain. It is rare to see so many of them out and moving about, but in the storm Carlos cannot find a reason why they'd want to be out. He'd noted it before Cecil had grabbed hold of him. The rain was not letting up, in fact it seemed to be growing heavier every minute. And Cecil was soaked through his clothes, to which Carlos shifted the umbrella to cover Cecil's form instead.

"I still have," he started to say but something caused him to choke on the last word. It was agonizing and he dropped the umbrella. It rolled between them as Carlos dropped to his knees, choking on his on words and gripping at his chest. Nothing was making sense to him.

Cecil lets out a shriek as he watches the man he loves fall to his knees. Behind the fallen scientist, a hooded figure stands with its (his?) arm stretched out. It is plunged through Carlos' back and a black form of mist floats out from the front of his chest. Blood has begun to leak from his chest and Carlos is choking for air now, not words. 

At the realization, Cecil drops to his own knees and reaches out to grab hold of Carlos. He can save him. He can. He is not useless.

"Carlos," he tries to say but it comes out choked and the word is full of tears. "P.. puh... perfect Carlos. You," he chokes more on his words, but unlike Carlos it isn't because of a hooded figure. "You're..."

In the time he has tried to talk to Carlos, the man's eyes have dimmed of any life. Cecil sobs, the rain mixing with his tears so that neither can be determined from the other. Above them, as Cecil curls over Carlos in an attempt to stop the inevitable, the hooded figure pulls back his arm. The black mist does not disperse, but rather wraps around Carlos' midsection. The hooded figure turns, and the black mist trails behind him and drags Carlos with it. The only solution is for Cecil to wrap himself around Carlos' torso. 

"Wait!" He shouts, but the hooded figure seems to deaf to his protesting words. "Me! Take me instead!"

That makes the figure pause and turn to look (maybe?) down at Cecil, who is wrapped tightly around Carlos. Shakily, Cecil sits up and lets go of Carlos' body. He smiles nervously up at the hooded figure, pressing a hand to his own chest. 

"You can have me. Please. Don't take him."

Cecil is shaking as the hooded figure slides to him, although the black mist that follows him is still wrapped tightly around Carlos. It stands closer to him, lowering itself to perhaps gain a better look of Cecil. He feels like it is an eternity before the figure slowly stands up and slides away. It moves fast enough that Cecil is lost behind it and Carlos. 

The broadcaster lets out another shrieking sob and stumbles up from his knees to follow the hooded figure. One figure tries to push him away, but he dances around it and continues to jog through the rain after the hooded figure that took his Carlos. 

In the night and the rain blocking most of his vision, he doesn't notice the entrance of the dog park or that he himself has entered it until, rather suddenly, he stumbles and feels pain wrench his heart from his chest. He think, briefly and fleetingly, that he hears Intern Dana screech his name. But that would be ridiculous. And he cannot seem to find it in himself to care about the thought for any longer than the second that it occurs.

His eyes (all three, as always) flutter open in surprise. Everything is mind shatteringly quiet, at least to him. No whispers from Station Management or the secret police or the council. Even when he searches with his third eye, nothing pops up. All he sees is static, and white blinding light. 

Then he feels the warmth surrounding him, and he registers the presence of someone else wrapped around him. 

Carlos, his mind informs him and it is correct that Carlos is with him and holding him tightly. 

"Oh, Cecil," his warm voice rings out and Cecil also registers that Carlos' chin rests on the top of his head. "You _fool_." But Cecil doesn't understand what he is going on and he doesn't care about it at the moment. Carlos is here. Carlos is warm, wrapped around him and Cecil is just so _happy._


End file.
